Myself, Thy Evil
by Zepheren
Summary: (AU) Something that has been sleeping deep inside Cloud has finally re-awakened, and Cloud is fighting to keep control. With the rest of Avalanche wondering why Cloud is being so strange, a lone man from Cloud's past returns, not only to protect him, but to complete a mission. As Gaia carefully watches for a new foe, other hells are breaking loose while the pawns are in play.
1. Chapter 1: No Title!

Authors Note: This is my first Final Fantasy 7 fic. Its set after AC. Cloud may act a bit OOC, but I'm trying. Tell me what you think Review!!

DECLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!! Except this fic. Yay!

Chapter One:

N**ocens**

All he knew is that he couldn't see. It was like he was sinking in an ocean of darkness. His eyes wandered...then he saw a gloomy child who stood in the center of the blackness.  
Shadows covered the child's pale face. The child's hair was platinum blond, long enough to cover its shoulders, and the bangs hid the child's eyes. The child's clothing was black, it mixed in with the dark aura around the child. The child's' gender was unreadable.

Loud screams emitted from everywhere in the shadowy depths. He took a step closer towards the small child...if you could call it stepping. It was more like stepping on to nothing but air. 'Where am I?' were mere thoughts echoing. He tried to speak, but his words were inaudible. 'What is going on?'

Squinting, trying to see through the haze of black, he could see that the child's mouth was moving. 'What?' He leaned forward, trying to listen, but all that he could hear was muffled speech. It was like the child was talking through a glass wall...

Then suddenly, the child's hands threw up into the air, clinching into small fists. Cloud felt himself jump, and flinch at the sudden movements. The child's muffled cries were becoming louder. He tried to speak again, but still his voice refused to produce any sound. 'What's wrong?' he cried mentally. The child shrieked suddenly. The scream echoing off the walls. The high pitched noise pierced though his eardrums...

Cloud's body shot up, gasping for air. He was drenched. His face was covered in sweat, and his shirt was soaked. He shivered slightly as a single sweat drop made its way from  
his forehead to his chin. His hand trembled as he wiped the swat from this brow. Trying to calm himself, he glanced around. His eyes darting from each corner of the empty,  
soundless Church. Rays of the new days sun shot through the large, gaping holes in the ceiling.

Finally, having gained his bearings, Cloud rubbed his glazed eye with the back of his hand before deciding to check the time on his cell phone. It read 7:48am. He dropped the phone carelessly to the wooden ground, it making a clanking sound. 'Damn it!" he spat mentally, 'That dream again. Why was it always the same?' he thought as his pulled the light blanket off of him. Its been puzzling his for the past week. The same dream, every night. It was sleep depriving. It would keep him awake after it would happen, or he just fought off sleep, fearing it. For some reason, it scared him.

Brushing it off, he stretched his tired, achy muscles as he yawned. His phone began to ring. He picked up the noisy machine. The caller ID blinked TIFA. Cloud took a long look at for a moment before he opened it, unsure if he should answer it. Sighing, he effortlessly flipped open the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" Cloud said tiredly. Tifa's voice chirped on the other end. "Hi Cloud. Wow, you answered your phone?"

Cloud got up off his make shift bed that was made up of a simple brown sleeping bag. Beside it was a beaten old brown box, used as a table. "What is it, Tifa?" Cloud said impatiently.

"Sorry for waking you up." She replied. Glasses could be heard clanking together. "You have a client. She needs you to make an express delivery to her daughter in law who lives in Kalm."

Cloud began to slip his booted over black socks as he listened, the phone placed between his ear and shoulder. "When?" he asked.

The faucet could be heard being turned on. "Well, she said today. She left the package here an hour ago." she said louder, trying to speak over the rushing water. "I wanted to give you a little more time to sleep before calling." Cloud wished she had called earlier, waking him from the haunting dream.

He didn't say anything about that.

"I'll be there."

He flipped the phone closed. He put the phone in his pocket. Slipping his eyes shut, he tried to summon the energy for the drive. It was a short drive to the bar, but the delivery is what was going to be the long haul. Opening his eyes, Cloud stood up. He picked up his weapon holster and buckled it around him before placing the large sword within it.

He walked to a chest which held may mastered matieras. He picked a few, fire being his first choice, since it was his favorite. Snatching the Fenrir's keys off the old box, he set off towards the church doors.

The wind whipped his hair around, and streamed by his ears. The route to Tifa's Seventh Heaven Bar programmed into his mind. He took turns without even really paying attention  
to where he was going. His mind racing, stilling toying with the nightmare. Cloud wanted to know why he was being pledged by this dream. A child, darkness surround said child. Was it Aeris? Was she trying to tell him something? No that couldn't be it. She would have told him herself if she wished. He'd never seen the child before. Never spoke to

any child that looked like that. He shook his head violently. He decided not to let the dream eat him alive. He needed to think about the task that was soon to be at hand.

Cloud arrived at Tifa's Bar. The parking lot already full. He struggled to find an empty spot, but finally found one. The place had gotten very popular. She had to hire more help. Tifa served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with drinks. But it just wasn't the food alone that attracted costumers. It was Tifa's personality. She'd always been a people person. She could sit for hours and listen to some poor drunkards sob stories and could actually give advice. It was also her smile and the kindness that was always laced around her words, not to mention she was quiet an attractive woman. Not that Cloud saw her that way though. She'd always be just a 'childhood friend'.

Cloud entered the door quietly as he could. He never liked to draw attention to himself. He hated when people stared at him. He easily walked around the obstacle of tables and  
chairs, passing by the bustling people. and finally found himself at the bar counter. He sat in the bar stool, head down.

Tifa came up to him on the other side of the counter  
with a full plate of food, which was a large amount of eggs, three pieces of bacon, and two pieces of toast. The other hand held a rather large cup, which contained orange juice.  
She placed the plate in front of the blond, who looked like he was lost in thought. She tapped her finger on the counter in front of Cloud. He still didn't respond. She frowned  
at this. She decided to speak.

"Hi Cloud." she smiled, even though he wasn't looking at her. Cloud's body startled at her words. He looked up at her, his eyes woven with sleepiness.

She looked at him worriedly, "Cloud, are you sleeping well at night? You look horrible." she said as she leaned in at him, concerned eyes drilling through his own. His head snapped, looking at another direction. He hated being stared into.

"I'm just a little tired," he said simply, "Don't worry."

Tifa leaned back and crossed her arms. "I don't know, Cloud. You look like you haven't slept in days."

That was true. But he kept it to himself.

Tifa put her arms at her sides. She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Maybe you should, you know, skip this delivery."

Cloud picked up the sliver fork and he proceeded to poke at the eggs. He didn't have much of an appetite. "I'm fine. Where's the package?"

Tifa sighed in defeat, and walked to the back in search of the box. She knew when Cloud made up his mind you could never talk him out of it. Finding the box that was tucked under the desk, she back tracked to the counter. She saw that Cloud hadn't touched his food. He had neatly put the fork back where he'd picked it up from. She handed the box to him, reaching over the still full plate.

Cloud took it and set it on his lap. Tifa huffed, and put both hands on her hips, annoyed. "I made you breakfast. You could at least try to eat some of it. Maybe a bite or two." Cloud looked up from the messy text that was scribbled on the box he was attempting to read.

"I'm not really hungry this morning, Tifa." he said as his eyes made there way back to the poorly written text.

Tifa took the plate. "Fine, but at least drink the juice so that you'll have something in your stomach." she said as she started to the kitchen.

"I'll put it away for later!" she yelled. Cloud really wasn't paying much attention. He was still trying to figure out the address on the box.

Cloud assumed that the woman must have been in a hurry to have written the address so poorly. With one hand holding the box, he used his other hand to take a sip of the now watery juice. He peered into the cup and noticed tiny bits of ice floating around in the juice. 'Refrigerator must be broken again.' he thought as he placed the cup back onto the counter.

"Tifa!" he called. Tifa rushed over. She was in the middle of taking an order. "What is it, Cloud?" she smiled as she filled a glass full of alcohol.

"Refrigerator down again?" he asked.

Tifa sighed, "Yeah. I need to call Cid so that he can fix it." she said, "--again." she said as an after thought.

She turned around and went back the way she came to face a costumer, who when saw Tifa smiled. Cloud stood up. He decided to get this endeavor done and over with.

"Right..." he said to himself, leaving the unfinished watery drink on the counter.

"I'll see you later, Cloud!" Tifa shouted over the talking crowd.

Cloud just waved his hand in response, as he extended his other arm to shove open the door.

Thoughts of the dream began to invade his mind again. He pushed the annoying thoughts to the back of his mind and shifted the bikes steering slightly so that he could ride the winding path. The trip wouldn't be as long as Cloud had figured originally. He kept his eyes on the road. Patches of grass and few trees and bushes passed by him.

Suddenly, Cloud began to feel very sleepy. He jolted his eyes open, and shook himself trying to stay awake. But his eye lids had a mind of their own. They began to droop close again. The bike started weaving from side to side. He jerked awake again.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he shouted. This was so unlike him to fall asleep while driving. He's been extremely tired before, and he still hadn't fallen asleep, not like this. But he couldn't help it, he couldn't stop it. It was like someone cast Sleepel on him. He felt the wobbling of the bike rolling off the road.

He didn't see if the bike hit anything or not, because he had already fallen into a blissful sleep. The bike rammed into a fairly large tree, and the blond was sent flying into a dried up, dead looking near by bush. His body was put in an awkward position. His body didn't move, nothing twitched. Blood seeped from his forehead and trickled down his face.

The bar had closed hours ago, around ten-ish. The time was now 1:13am. Tifa's feet paced around the center of the floor for about the millionth time tonight. Its been seventeen hours since Cloud had left the bar to deliver the younger woman her box from her mother-in law. But from the phone call Tifa received in the middle of the afternoon, Tifa had realized something very bad must have happened to Cloud.

It was not like Cloud to be late on a delivery. He was usually either early or on time. She bit her bottom lip. She was worried. She'd left several message, after calling him several times before hand. Yes, Cloud never answered his phone, but he normally returned her call. But still no call back. She stopped for a moment, then paced around again. Her chin rested on her thumb. She decided to give Cid a call, despite it being so late. He was going to hate her for this.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, then flipped it open. She found his number in her contacts list. She pressed TALK...It began to ring.

There was a click.

"Wha'the hell yer callin' for at this hour?" Cid's voice sounded tired and irritated.

Tifa sighed, "I'm sorry Cid for calling at this hour but..." she trailed off. Cid waited for her to continue, but she didn't. She was lost in thought.

"But what?" he grumbled.

"Sorry!" she gasped, "I think some thing's wrong with Cloud..."

Something could be heard like cloth shifting. "Ya wanted to tell about your fuckin' love life at this time of th'night?" he grunted.

Tifa shook her head vigorously. "No, no. Its nothing like that. It's just that Cloud's been missing for seventeen hours."

Something slammed. Hard.

"Holy fuck?! Well, have ya called him?!" he asked, shouting in distress.

"Yes! I did. But he never called back!" she replied frantically. She taped her foot in the wooden floor.

"Well, fuck." he yawned, "Damn it, I'll be over."

He hung up.

Tifa put her phone away. She ran to the back and grabbed the keys off the office desk and stuck them in her pocket. The keys were for locking the bar when she left. Tifa raced out  
of the bar. she spun around on her heel and locked the door. She turned back around and started jogging down the much known path out of Edge. She needed to be waiting outside so that Cid wouldn't have to wait for her.

In ten minutes, the familiar rumbling of the engine that emitted from the Sierra could be heard. It landed of the grassy outskirts of Edge. Tifa was already there when the entrance  
doors opened, and a extremely sleep deprived Cid stepped out, along with his fiancé, Shera. When Cid had returned from the first fight with Sephiroth, Cid had proposed to  
her. But Cid's been very busy since then, but the woman didn't mind. She would wait an eternity for a set wedding date.

Cid managed to walk himself over to the brunette with out tripping in the dark. Even with the lights on that came looming down from the Sierra, it was still a bit too dark to see.

"Any word from the kid yet?" Cid said has he lit up a cigarette.

Tifa shook her head in disappointment. "No, nothing," she replied.

Cid kicked some dirt with his shoe. "Well, fuck. Where th'hell did the kid go to be gone for so long fer?" he thought out loud.

Shera was standing in between the door, her fingered wrapped around the door hinge. "Maybe he got attack by some monsters." she spoke softly.

Cid shook his head, his brows frowning. "Nah. He wouldn't let that happen. The kids strong." Cid replied. Then he noticed some thing. The lights of the Sierra was lighting the way to where the blonds bike had made marks in the road.

"I think we found'em..." he said as his eyes trailed the marked road.

_He was there again...Floating in the stilled black. Again. With nothing. With no one. Alone. He shook his head and looked around. 'No.' he said mentally, since his mouth still refused to listen to his commands, 'I'm not alone. Where is that child that's always here?' his body shifted, searching for the small body that loomed in the darkness. _

_"I'm here." an innocent child's voice said. _

_Cloud couldn't tell the gender of the voice. _

_'What? You can talk now?' Cloud said surprised. _

_The first time Cloud dreamed, the child was unable to say anything. It was like the child was sitting in a glass bubble. Cloud searched the darkness with his eyes until he came across a small boy, standing below him, who was starring up at him with a strange expression on his face. _

_"Yes." the child's voice hissed, "Yes, I can speak now." The boy whirled around once and then looked back up. _

_"I can move freely again." he smiled wickedly._

_Cloud didn't understand what he meant exactly. Who was this kid? And why was he saying that he was able to 'move freely'? Why was he unable to move in the first place?_

_Cloud's eyes narrowed. Where on Gaia is he? _

_"Ah...I see. " the boy sneered, "You are a very confused little boy, aren't you?"_

_This boy isn't normal. Something eerie laced about him. The way he moved, the way he used his words. Cloud knew...knew? Knew what? _

_"Is something wrong?" the boys voice didn't change. _

_'Who are you?!' Cloud demanded._

_The boy began to cackle. "Are you serious?" the boy sighed, as he began to float up to where Cloud seemed to be stuck. Cloud then realized he couldn't move..._

_"Don't remember me? She kept us apart!" he explained. _

_A puzzled look._

_"Hmm...You really don't remember. Oh well. That doesn't matter. " The boy shrugged._

_The child licked Cloud's now pale cheek. He hummed._

_"Don't be afraid..." the child cooed. Cloud's eyes widened with fear. _

_"We are together again." his voice chilled. Cloud flinched as the child raised a hand to Cloud's pale cheek. _

_"She will never separate us ever again..." he spat._

_"N-never...?" Cloud's voice stuttered._

_The child smiled sweetly. "Never."_

_"I am you...We are the same....Forever."_

Authors Note: Well that's the first chapter. I hope I did well. I have never written a fan fiction before. Oh BTW the word 'Nocens' meansbad, wicked, injurious, culpable, evil.


	2. Chapter Two: Seduction

Authors Note: finally, the second chapter. Took awhile. I'm still working on the plot. Probability already used, not taking.

[[[ o.O ALERT ]]]

BEWARE! There are some disturbing scenes in this chapter, so if you can't take it, DON'T READ IT!!

Chapter is rated PG-14 just in case....This chapter is also somewhat shorter then the first chapter. I can't give away everything just yet, now can I?

Tell me if I mis-spelt anything. AND TELL ME IF THE CHARACTERS ARE OOC...TY!

LOOKING FOR BETA READER!!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN FF7. IF I DID, I WOULDN'T BE WRITING THIS, I WOULD BE CONTINUING THE STORY ON A GAME OR A MOVIE! WOOT!

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**Chapter Two: **

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_**Seduction**_

It was warm, and it smelled nice...really good. It was the smell of fresh cookies baking in the oven. That is was Cloud noticed when he finally regained consciousness. He didn't have any idea of how long he'd been sleeping, that is if you could call it sleeping , or why anyone would be baking cookies. He knew where he was. He was in one of the guest rooms on the upper level of Tifa's Seventh Heaven Bar. Tifa lived on the upper level.

He slowly sat up, the light tan colored blanket that covered his body falling off. He noticed that he was wearing a grey tee-shirt, that wasn't his. Looking on down his body he saw that he was also wearing a pair of grey sweat pants. This made Cloud totally confused and panicked at the same time.

Cloud's eyes widened with horror. Had some one seen him naked? Of course! How else did he suddenly have a change in clothing? But the real question is who was it that had seen his slim, slightly built, naked pale body? Did this person carry him? Cloud was over loading his brain with questions. His cheeks turned a hue of soft pink. He shook his head roughly to rid his poor mind of thoughts that shouldn't have been even thought of. He needed to think of something else.

Instead, he tried to remember where he was and what had happened before he blacked out and had another strange dream. The same dream...but this time...the child talked to him. What was it he said? Was the child even a 'he'? Just the very thought of the nightmare made Cloud's stomach want to crawl out of his throat and out his mouth and run away. Throwing up wasn't an option for Cloud. That's all he needed. Another excuse for someone to worry about him. He imagined that who ever had brought him here was worried, and since he was in Tifa's home, he figured she'd be worried about him as well.

Climbing out of the comfortable bed, comfortable being since he hadn't slept in one for so long, he stretched looked around the room and saw through the window that it was night time. He wondered what time it was. He shrugged, knowing he'd find out sooner or later.

The blond made his way to the exit of the guest room. Cloud didn't want to draw any sort of attention to himself, so he as quietly as he could, closed the door behind him. His stomach then growled. He assumed the cursed stomach wanted revenge for thinking about the dream and wanted to get him caught. He decided to get a bite to eat while he was down there. He was going to get caught anyway, with or without noise.

Cloud crept down the stairs. He knew the stairs creaked, so he didn't understand why he was being so sneaky. The blond managed to make it to the end of the stairs with out a sound. That was a miracle. He poked his head into the bar area. There he spotted Cid, and Shera sitting at a booth, one on each side. They looked like they were enjoying a nice conversation together. Cloud then noticed Tifa, who was giving out drinks to the costumers.

Cloud blinked. Did he sleep all day? When did he go to sleep? Not wanting to waste anymore time, and anxious to find out, he walked over to the bar counter and sat down. All eyes in the room were on the blond. It made Cloud feel nervous, and a little uneasy. Trying to avoid the odd stares, Cloud put his head down.

Tifa finished with her costumer and saw Cloud sit down. From what she could tell with the blond spikes hanging in his face, he looked a bit shook up, and nervous. She smiled. Maybe he felt better, but something in the back of her mind made her feel other wise. She moved over to Cloud. In hand was a cup of hot black coffee. She placed the cup in front of him. Cloud looked up at her.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Cloud's eyes wandered for a moment, as if he was searching for an answer to give her. He shook his head 'no' in response.

"Can you tell me whats going on? I've been worried about you." she asked softly, though she wanted to scream it at him. She crossed her arms, her finger tapping her arm, waiting for an answer. She hated it when he kept to himself. It was always hard to get a straight answer from Cloud.

"I don't know...." He slowly answer finally. "But what I do want to know is how I got here..." he looked at her. "And what happened to my clothes?"

Cid came walking up, Shera following behind him. He put a friendly hand on Cloud's shoulder and shook him. Cloud turned around, with a small annoyed look on his face.

"_Sleep in your memories...."_

"_I'll wait for you here..."_

"_I want to play with you..."_

Cloud blinked. He was far, far away from them. He was listening to something. He couldn't quite hear...

Everything was sinking into nothing but a blur. All he could concentrate on was the small voice.

"_You're so insignificant." it sang._

"_But I love you..." the voice cackled._

"_I made you cookies...." it chirped_

"'Ey kid! Are yer awake?" Cid's gruff voiced snapped Cloud back to reality. Cloud's eyes looked a little dazed in the eyes. Cid shook him a bit. That didn't work. He spun the barstool around so that he could have some eye contact with the blond. Cloud was just starring out into space. He didn't hear him?

"What the hell's wrong with ya?!" Cid shouted.

Cloud gulped, eyes widening slightly. The color in his face had drained. He turned to face the cup that was still holding hot coffee.

What the hell is going on?

"Y-yeah. I'm awake." he mumble. Tifa came back to the counter. She'd watched the scene from afar. The woman had to tend to another costumer. After she helped some more people, she then wandered back to Cloud's seat, worrying why Cloud looked so out of it.

"Cloud, what is going on with you?" she asked with concern in her voice. She tilted her head, waiting for an answer.

The blond looked up at Tifa. For someone who said they were awake, he looked extremely tired. Cloud looked back down and picked up the steamy cup, taking a sip of the black coffee.

"Answer my question first." he replied, barely a whisper.

Tifa sighed. She knew she wouldn't get a straight answer from him. That was always Cloud.

She folded her arms on the counter, sitting in front of Cloud.

"Cid bought you those clothes, and he also carried you back. When we found you, you looked like crap. I cleaned you up, Cid dressed you." she said quickly. "Now its your turn."

The blond leaned back. He wasn't expecting that. He was hoping he could wheedle himself out of answering. He didn't want, or need to involve them into one of his psychotic dementia episodes.

He sighed, looking around. He was feeling uncomfortable with all these people staring at him. It was really getting to him.

'Should I tell them that I'm hearing voices in my head, and having nightmares of some freaky kid that looks at me like I'm something to eat?' he wondered. He really had to think on this. He didn't want Tifa to call the whole damn crew here, which he knew she would, just because he's going crazy? No, he couldn't. He had to keep it to himself, until he knew what the hell was going on. Until he was sure he wasn't going to hurt anyone. He had to lie. But what could he say?

"I'm just not sleeping well." Just a small lie. "I've been doing other things..." What things?

The blond scratched his head. "Uh..."

Cid sat down next to Cloud in another barstool, as did Shera on the other side of Cid. Tifa came over and place a big mug full of iced cold beer in front of Cid. The man picked it up and drank it.

Tifa smiled. "If thats all it is, then maybe you should take a break. I knew you were tired when I gave you the address to that delivery." She took his cup, and filled it with more coffee. She didn't believe a word of it, but to make it easier to take care of him, she pretended to.

"You just need some rest." Tifa said as if it was just as plain as day. She put a plate of fries in between Cid and Shera, along with a bottle of ketchup. They were going to share. They both started to take some fries off of the plate at eat them

The blond shook his head in defiance. Cloud didn't want rest. He wanted to figure this out. He needed to be alone. He wanted to go back to the church. But Cloud knew that wasn't going to happen. He took another sip of his coffee.

"Did you make cookies?" Cloud asked abruptly. He suddenly had a crave on for cookies. He desired to taste cookies. He wanted them hot in his hands when he went to take a bite. This was so unusual. He never really liked the thought of even eating a cookie, let alone any type of sweets, or candy. He just didn't like them.

Tifa was caught off guard by this question. She was sure Cloud did, in fact, dislike cookies.

He was acting so weird. Cloud, wanting cookies?

"I didn't make any, but I can." She answer as if the question didn't worry her, which it did.

"I'll be waiting up stairs then." Cloud said as he slipped off the barstool. He made his way back to the stairs, and disappeared, leaving Cid and Tifa utterly baffled.

Cid took a fry and shoved it into his mouth. "The fucks wrong with him?!" he asked, his mouth still full.

Tifa crossed her arms, her face now reveling the worry she had been hiding.

"I don't know. He's never acted like this before." she replied. "Its so unlike him...He hates cookies. He has never liked them. Now all of the sudden he does?"

"Maybe he's turned a new leaf or something..." he said, think aloud.

Tifa shook her head. "No. That's not it at all. Something is wrong, and he's just not telling us." She started to pace back and forth, ignoring the costumers who were wanting her services.

"What's wrong with wanting some cookies?" Shera asked, as she snatch a fry before Cid got his little fingers on it. Cid smiled.

"I guess nothing. Its just not like Cloud..." she noticed a costumer waving a hand. "Be right back."

"_You're going to love cookies." the child was chilling as it cooed, breath tickling in Cloud's ear. _

"_I do." the child said as he giggled._

_They were laying on a bed. Or at least it felt like a bed. He felt pillows beneath his head. But it was still the blackness he recalled dreaming about before. He felt clothes on his body. He didn't know exactly what he was wearing, nor did he care. All he knew is that this child, the child was straddling Cloud mid torso. The boy's forehead touching Cloud's. Cloud's body was quivering. He felt naked...Defenseless. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't even cry. _

"_They taste yummy..." the boy licked Cloud's cheek gently. Cloud shuddered. His body was tingling all over._

_Was this real?_

_Where is he...?_

"_Shh...Don't be scared. You have nothing to fear now that I am here. I will save you." the boy said sweetly. _

_The child began to pet Cloud's cheek. _

"_We have so much to catch up on." he giggled._

_A tear fell from Cloud's blue orbs. This was disgusting. He wanted to be awake, and control of his own body. This is worse then when Sephiroth had control over him years ago._

_Sephiroth...? Who was Sephiroth? Cloud's eyes frowned in concentration. He couldn't remember._

"_Don't worry about him!!" he yelled, grabbing Cloud's chin forcing him to look into the boy's glare._

"_Don't even think about him..."_

_The boy's face inched closer, closer to the point where their noses were touching. Cloud's eyes widened in fearfulness. What was he going to do to him?_

"_Think about me..." he whispered, his breath ghosting over Cloud's lips. _

_Heat...he began to feel heat all over his body. The child gently kissed his cheek, the he trailed his tong down his neck. He softly kissed the crook of his neck. _

_Alarm bells began ringing in Cloud's head. He had to move! He needed to get this disturbed lunatic off of him before something else that was utterly disgusting happened. He tried to move his arms, but they felt like dead weight. Even his head. He couldn't escape. He just wanted to wake up._

"_Do I need to sing you a lullaby?" he said as he came back up to Cloud's face, again nose to nose. _

_He wiped away the tears that were swelling in Cloud's eyes. _

"_Don't cry..." he hushed him, putting small fingers upon Cloud's trembling lips. _

"_I love you. He never did. Don't try to remember him." he ordered. "It will just make you sad."_

_The child's hand when to his cheek, the thumb petting the flesh. The boy noticed that he was turning a hue of pink. He was blushing._

"_Mmmm...That's good." the child said, nodding in approval. _

_What? What did he mean? Cloud was confused as ever. _

"_Soon you'll want to feel me..." he whispered seductively, "You understand, don't you?"_

_A the other hand that was doing nothing in particular, went into his so called shirt and on to a nipple that as soon as it was rubbed began to turn hard. _

_This was wrong. Really wrong. Cloud had to get out of where ever he was, or wake up from this horrific dream. He didn't want to be seduced by some kid. He didn't really want to be seduced by anybody. All he knew is that he wanted to leave this dark hole and see light again._

"_I know you want me to stop, so I will." the child said. "I want to earn your trust."_

_The child again started on Cloud's neck. He nipped and sucked. Cloud felt like he needed to moan. Some how the child knew this. It made him grin. _

"_I knew you loved me..." he whispered on his neck, and continued his attack._

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Authors note: okay, so this chapter ended a bit creepy, but I have to get this all out so that I can start really getting into the main plot. Sorry to scare you away!

Review please! Thanks in advance!!


	3. Chapter Three: A Watching Stranger

Okay, I could help it with the first part of this chapter. YES, I KNOW, But everyones doing it!

I want to, too!

**DISCLAIMER: ** --**looks in wallet, which instead of money, its a spider web.-- Nupe. I don't own Final Fantasy 7.**

WARNING: Tifa might be a little OOC...If she is I'm sorry. She's one of my favorite characters. Maybe Cloud too...? Not too sure.

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Sorry it too so long for the updates. The things that go on in my life never makes sense! Lolz.

**Chapter Three **

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**A Watching Stranger**

The plains of Midgar had never looked so appealing to him. Not since that day that is. For quite sometime, he'd not seen this place, for he had not been here to see it. The sky was so blue. Just like Cloud's eyes...So beautiful. On the edge of the cliff, where the tragedy had happened, where the blond boy who he knew as his best friend had confused this man's memories with his own, he stood overlooking the field. Memories began flooding back to him about the shy, easy to intimidate, young friend of his. Though, this man wanted it to be more. But the boy was too young, and probably wouldn't have understood. A frown made its way on his face. The boy he knew had to grow up so fast. Too fast. He watched him have the worlds worries sit heavy on his small shoulders. So many horrific things happened to the young boy. The death of his mother, the burning of his home, the horrendous experiments that had changed his body very rapidly. The boy had no choice but to stand by and watched it all, taking in all the pain and had to grit his teeth. The man shook his head. He had not time to be thinking of the past. He had a mission, and this time, he wasn't going to let himself be killed.

A torn grey cape flowing in the breeze, along with long dark strands of hair. A crossed scar on the left side of his cheek was still there, a reminder of his past. A smile faded on to Zack Fair's face. He was home. This is where he belonged.

This cliff held a painful memory.

"_You will be proof that I lived..."_

**-FLASH-**

"_Live."_

_For me._

**-FLASH-**

A sad smile. He shook his head. He regretted putting that on the boys shoulders too. Cloud had too much weight, and he just added to it. His words, his life, his dreams.

The man wrapped his hand around the handle of the Buster Sword. He smiled again. It was old, and rusted. That's okay. He cocked his head to the side slightly. _'I'll bet he'll be mad when he sees this missing.' _he mused to himself, smirking teasingly. Lifting the giant sword out of the ground, he turned heel, heaving it over his shoulder. The man proceeded to find his friend, his almost lover. Cloud.

For the life of her, Tifa could not understand why, or when Cloud had decided to like cookies, let alone begin to enjoy them. Tifa was sitting in her recliner, (at home) racking her brains out. She was trying to figure out if Cloud was just having random cravings or if his brain set sail far into the ocean, never to return. Out of all the time she'd known (all her life), Cloud, not once had he succumbed to eating, or even coming close to tasting a cookie, even if one of the children begged him to.

Tifa itched her chin thoughtfully. She was remembering what had went on last night, and the event made her wonder. Had Cloud hit his head too hard? Had he finally went insane? Was there something more going on then he was leading on? She began to rock the recliner back and forth with the tip of her foot. Surely this assumption had to be correct. He was after all, lying to he from the get go.

Tifa knew that something had to be wrong with Cloud, with the way he was acting last night and all. She just had to do enough snooping around to find out. But how? Cloud could easily figure out her plot. He knew her too well. But still, she wasn't going to let that little problem stop her. She needed to get to the bottom of this. A wide grin spread a crossed her face, making her look just slightly insane (maybe a little too insane). Perhaps she already knew how...

For the third time today, Cloud opened his eyes to the glaring light. Just opening his eyes a little bit hurt his head. He had a migraine, or a least he thought it was. Its what it felt like. Groaning, he turned over onto his left side and covered up his pale face. He had no idea how bad he looked. He looked like death warmed over then warmed over again. He blinked. He felt so tired, but he'd been sleeping all day. The strange thing was to him, is that Tifa had not come to check on him. Perhaps she had decided to leave him alone. But...That isn't what he wanted. He wanted someone to come and check on him. But why? He hated being babied. He felt so different then, after that thought occurred to him. He shook his head. He needed to get out of bed and move around. Maybe a walk would do him good, along with the fresh air. That sounded like a good plan.

Cloud slipped the blanket from over his head and removed it completely off of his body. He slowly sat up, and put his legs hanging abit from the floor over the edge of the bed. He sighed tiredly. Yes, there was something defently wrong with him. This sinister child scared the shit out of him. He couldn't move when he was dreaming. He never had good dreams, not anymore. Only of the child. They one that uses him as a toy. Something to torture and manipulate. He hated it. But, no matter what, he couldn't do a thing about it.

Cloud stood up and stretched. He wanted those cookies. '_God. _There has to be something wrong with me!' he mentally snapped. His brows frowned in frustration. He huffed, and walked over to a small dresser. He proceeded to take out a black turtle neck shirt, and in another drawer, his signature black baggy pants. He couldn't find his sword. He needed to find out where the hell they put it. Cloud then looked about the room searching for his boots. Now, where the hell did they put _those?!_ He sighed angrily, and crossed his arms. He was definitely irritated. He saw his cell phone on the dresser. At least that wasn't lost. He picked it up and pocketed it. Giving up on his boots for now, he made his way out the bedroom door.

Cloud made his way down the hallway, to the end where the stairs were. His feet moved on their own as they quickly raced down the steps. When he made it to the end of the stairs, he could already hear Tifa talking on her phone. He then peeped in farther to confirm this assumption, which was true. She was talking on her phone. She was talking like the whole world just pissed on her.

"What do you mean?!" She snapped into the phone, as she slammed her hand on the bar counter. She huffed angrily. Yes, the whole world _must_ have pissed on her for her to be this mad.

"I thought you were going to fix it! I told you when – No... - Well!!" she was pacing now. She must have been talking with Cid about the refrigerator.

"_Does she agitate you?" the voice chided._

Cloud's eyes widened. No! Not again. He crushed his eyes closed and shook his head from side to side roughly, trying to rid his sanity from the small, creepy voice. He leaned against the wall. He couldn't let this get to him. He couldn't let Tifa see. He had to get out of there.

He made his decision. Cloud searched the bar counters, the small hooks on the wall below the bulletin board, looking for his _Fenrirs_ keys. He spotted them in a jar. Quickly, trying not to be caught by Tifa, he ran over and snatched the keys out of the jar. He smirked. He was very surprised she didn't catch him. He figured she was just too busy on the phone to notice him.

"_What's the hurry? Don't you want your cookies?" it asked._

He ignored the voice.

Cloud ran back up the stairs and went back into the room where he was resting. His boots had to be in there somewhere. He bent down onto his knees and searched underneath the bed. There sat his old, black boots. He reached under the bed and grabbed them. He stood back up and sat down on the edge of the bed. He hurriedly put his boots on, and got up and rushed out the door. He needed to leave before his distraction got off the phone. When he got to the end of the stairs again, he looked in to make sure that Tifa was still arguing on the phone, which she was. Cloud made a mental note to call her later on his phone.

Cloud ran out of the front door, unaware that he was being watched.

Okay, so this chapter was uber short. I'm so sorry I'm late. I have been really busy making music videos. -.-

I hope this ties you up for now~

Ciao!!

REVIEW~


	4. Chapter Four: Following A Memory

I'm really glad I'm getting great feedback for the story. I didn't think it was all that great, so I just posted the first chapter to see how it went. And well, here we are now~

Okay here's chapter four! Thanks for waiting. Since its summer vacation, chapters will start to roll in. Tell me if I'm misspell anything!

Thank you so much for the reviews!!! It gives my inspiration to write~!

Now, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I own NUTHING! Just this story! Too bad...I woulda made Zacky live. LIVE!

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**Chapter Four: **

**Following A Memory**

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Where was he? How far did he go? Cloud didn't even know what time of day it was. He had no idea where he was, or where he was going. All he knew is that he was very, very afraid. Fear was gripping and tightening around his chest. This feeling hadn't happened to him in a long time. Not since he had fought the General on the building top. Why it was happening now, puzzled Cloud. He knew that what was going on wasn't normal for him.

For some reason, he felt like he didn't know himself anymore. Not knowing yourself was not such a great thing. It caused trouble, and Cloud knew it. It was a fact. It had happened to him before. Cloud knew he shouldn't be letting this happen to himself, but what could he do to stop it? He had no power over this 'being' that possessed his every memory, his every dream. Even his thoughts weren't private. That is exactly what Cloud was frightened of.

While Cloud was busy-bodying himself with his worries, the boy never spotted the person who was on hot pursuit behind him. This person was riding on his own motorcycle. The bike itself was astoundingly beautiful. Its paint job consisted of blue with black trim. It was a little smaller then Cloud's _Fenrir_, but it had its own standards. Its engine was powerful. The person had proudly named it after Cloud.

The person was very surprised that the blond didn't notice him yet. The bike made plenty of noise. This fact, in turn, made a knot in this person's stomach...It told him something was definitely wrong, if Cloud's ears didn't automatically pick up the engines huge noise. This feeling told him that if they didn't stop soon, the whole scene was going to turn bad.

Zack did not like this feeling at all.

Zack watched as the blond's motorcycle swayed and swished from side to side. This scared the holy hell out of the dark haired man. He knew if he didn't stop him now, Cloud would crash and that would be that.

But how? How could Zack stop him without freaking the blond out?

What was he supposed to do? Ride up close and shout, "Hey buddy! It's me, Zack! Sorry for being dead for so long. Traffic in the Life Stream was hell!"

_'I don't think that would work...'_ he told himself mentally. The end result would be if the crash didn't end up killing him, seeing his old dead friend alive again would surely do him in. Zack growled in frustration. He had – no – needed to do _something_ quick before Cloud's dancing on the road resulted in Zack picking up the boy's brains off of the dirt.

That was it. Zack had no choice...No choice but to take ten years off the boy's life. Zack breathed out nervously. This wasn't going to be an easy thing to do. He could already imagine the hearing the trillion questions coming from the boy.

Zack, determined to save Cloud from the 'impending' crash, revved up his bike, and sped up in an attempt to catch up with Cloud, which was going pretty well.

"Hmm?" Cloud's head turned slightly, finally noticing the sound of another engine. Someone was following, and the pursuer was catching up to him fast. The sleepiness was getting to him. He felt his eyes begin to droop. He shook his head roughly, and squeezed his eyes shut.

_'This isn't something I can deal with right now.' _ Cloud thought as he re-opened his eyes, and he too sped up to try and loose the pursuer.

It was working.

"Damn it!" Zack cursed aloud. He didn't anticipate Cloud running away from him. He figured Cloud would pull over, take out his weapon, and fight with his chaser...but he's running. Farther, and farther. It wasn't like Cloud to run from his enemy, let alone a fight. Now, Zack was getting abit worried about Cloud's peculiar behavior.

_'I can't let him speed up and get reckless.' _Zack thought, "I know!" he said triumphantly.

"This should work. He won't recognize me with my cape covering my face." he assured himself.

But his gut was telling him it wasn't a good idea to scare the shit out of the boy. But he did it anyway.

Zack sped up once more, now trying to match Cloud's momentum. He tried to steer around Cloud so that he could ride beside him. He finally managed to do so without hitting or bumping into the other swaying driver. Zack tried his best to get Cloud's attention by waving a hand at him, but the attempt was of no avail. Cloud just flat out ignored him, seemingly concentrating on the road rolling out in front of him.

Zack noticed perspiration on Cloud's face. Zack swallowed a lump in this throat.

Zack cursed under his breath. Well, that didn't go over as planned. He would just have to try something else. Maybe throwing something at him? No! That would _definitely _make Cloud swerve and go KABOOM.

Zack sighed in defeat. Maybe he should just let him go for now, and just continue watching him from a distance. He knew Cloud could handle himself, but taking a last look at his disoriented friend, he wasn't so certain.

"I know you can pull through it!" he cracked a smile from ear to ear, shouting over the rumbling of the bikes before he turned his bike around as sped off in the opposite direction Cloud was going.

Cloud then slowed down his bike, putting the bike temporarily in park, with a stunned look on his face.

He was panting heavily. He looked around for any sign of the voice that he _swore _he'd heard_._

No...He couldn't believe it. No! It wasn't _him_...but that smile. He saw that smile out of the corner of his eye. He heard _his_ voice coming from that smile. It was impossible. Cloud remembered. He'd watched his best and only friend at the time, the man he admired, die before his very eyes. The last thing his blurry memory would allow him to remember was his _smile..._

"Z-Zack...?" Cloud's voice was small, and confused. His throat was dry, that had to be the reason... But he sounded so much unlike his monotone voice. He sighed tiredly.

The name felt strange coming from his lips. It'd been too long since he'd said that name.

His vision blurred again. He held his forehead in his hand. His body was swaying. Left...Right...

Too long.

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This morning, Tifa had discovered that Cloud had left. When she went to serve some breakfast to her childhood friend, she found the room empty. She should have noticed his _Fenrir's_ keys missing from the 'Keep Away' jar. She was pissed.

But she couldn't let herself be distracted by this. She had a business to run and kids to take care of.

Before the business could even start, she had to get the kiddies off to school. Tifa had tried to get ahold of Cloud via her cell phone, but as she guessed, Cloud never answered.

Tifa served one of her regulars a mug full of beer and a plate full of food. The man said his thanks and began to dig in. Tifa called over one of her employees to take her spot while she took a break. A short brown haired girl came over. Tifa thanked her.

The brunet excused herself from the bar counter and walked into the backroom. Once there, she took out her cell phone and began going through her list of contacts and dialed, starting with Barret.

She was going to get to the bottom with this, even though Cloud didn't want anybody else to know.

Tifa was gathering the crew together to find Cloud, again.

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Zack watched Cloud from a distance. The poor kid looked like crap. His bike was parked alittle ways from where he was resting. He was laying on his side, using his arms for pillows. Cloud had decided to stop trucking on his bike and take a break, it looked like to Zack. The dark haired man had managed to watch Cloud struggle with keeping his balance on the _Fenrir, _without turning his head away. Cloud would sometimes stop midstream just to shake his head wildly, as if he was trying to shake something out of his hair. At first, Zack thought it was funny, seeing Cloud act like that. But, he soon realized that the boy was trying to resist falling asleep. He then regretted laughing at him...He remembered what he'd seen. Cloud looked like he was sick.

Zack hadn't the slightest clue what was making Cloud so tired and sickly looking. Perhaps he hadn't slept well in awhile. Or maybe he's really stressed out, that keeping him awake and unwell. Zack smiled fondly, as he remember how easy it was to upset the small cadet. But Cloud was older now. Could he have not changed that much at all? But Zack had watched Cloud handle tougher jobs, like fighting Sephiroth. What could be bothering him so bad? Zack sighed. He had really never seen Cloud like this, not even in his cadet days.

Zack snorted. Man, he really must be a chicken wuss. He was too afraid. Afraid that he would creep the blond out. He wanted to talk with him again, and comfort him. He wanted him to be able to sleep, and not be worried anymore. Just like he used to, he wanted to take care of the blond. Zack was determined to do this. He stood up from where he was sitting. Zack and staked himself far enough away so that Cloud wouldn't see him spying on him, but close enough to keep tabs on him.

"Alright. This is it." Zack encouraged himself, "He can't crash, and if he dies from a heart attack, I can always do CPR!" Zack snickered at that last part, sinister thoughts of naughty-ness filled his head. Pushing those "naughty" thoughts aside _for now_, Zack picked up his gear and proceeded to ride down the small cliff.

While the noise of the bike echoed in the night, Cloud was oblivious to it. Cloud was again far, far away from the world. He was in a very deep, deep sleep. Sweat was dripping off of his forehead.

"_Tonight is the last night you get to stay awake!" the child cackled. The child was laying beside Cloud, who could still not move a muscle. "Sleep now my precious." he cooed soothingly and he petted Cloud's cheek. _

All the color in Cloud's face drained. A weak sob escaped his parted lips.

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-To be continued

Review please!~


	5. Chapter Five: I Was Never Me

_Authors Notes: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in DECADES!! I have been REALLY busy! But I promise, I will start updating sooner! Plus, my plot bunnies are being bad. I'm running into spots where I don't have any idea what to write! That is not good!_

_Sorry if anything in this chapter seems out of place._

_Ahem, anyways! Back to the story!_

_BTW: The rating might change,and the story may be turning really AU!!!!_

Chapter Five:

**I Was Never Me**

If you attacked one of them, you were screwed, because you basically attacked them all. They were like a hive. They worked like a hive. Even though some of them didn't answer their phones, they were still able to maintain contact whenever they needed assistance. If they were hurt, or if one of them just wanted to pester you about how long you were going to hold out on keeping your materia, they were there.

They were family.

Tifa had called on her 'family' a couple of hours ago, and was expecting them any minute, thanks to Cid's airship. Cloud had yet again left, and hadn't called her since. Based on what she told them, they all agreed to meet up at her bar and have a discussion about Cloud's odd behavior. Tifa had told them about his cookie obsession, which in turn, Yuffie exclaimed that she knew all along about it, and told them that Cloud was just keeping it secret to be macho. Barret said he was having another mental break down. Vincent, as usual, didn't say much. Everyone else agreed with Barret.

Tifa served up some drinks, with some snacks to go with it. All but Vincent was sitting around their usual table. Cid sitting beside Shera, and Barret awkwardly beside Yuffie. Red was sitting beneath the table. Tifa was in a place all her own, while holding Cait Sith. Vincent, well he was leaning against a wall not too faraway from the table the group

was residing at. Tifa had closed the bar early so that the meeting could commence, the moment everyone had arrived.

"So, an'one know where spiky went off too? Or why?" Barret inquired. He was sipping on a beer.

Tifa shook her head. "No." she said disappointed. "He hasn't been himself. The cookie thing is what got me." she said. She snatched a potato chip from a bowl that was placed in the center of the table.

"I knew he liked cookies!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"No he doesn't!" was Tifa's heated reply.

"I know he does, or else he wouldn't be asking for any~!" Yuffie pouted in her defense, as she crossed her arms in a huff.

"Yuffie, be silent." Vincent's cold voice cut in.

Everyone shut up. The silenced Yuffie just looked at him, blinked and uncrossed her arms.

"I believe I know what is happening to Cloud." Vincent stated. He looked up at the group, making sure he made eye contact. He had managed to grab everyones attention, including Yuffie, who was fuming about no one believing her about Cloud's cookie ordeal.

Tifa was happy to know someone knew what was going on, but was frightened to actually know what it is. She began to play with a potato chip that she'd just grabbed, and was so concentrated on Vincent, the chip had been forgotten.

"Well, wha'is it?" Barret barked. He took another gulp of his beer.

Vincent, slowly proceeded to tell what he knew about Cloud's strangeness. Not everyone was braced for what he was about to say...

**0000**

For once, in long time, when Cloud awoke, he felt safe.

Safe, and warm...wait...

What?

Warm?

The blond sighed in contentment. He liked it this way...But....This was all wrong.

Cloud noticed a blanked was draped on him. He was still outside, beneath the stars. But when did he make a fire? He didn't remember doing that before he fell asleep. He knew it was a fire. He recognized the smell of burning wood. Slowly, the blond opened up his eyes. He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the light that was flickering off of

the dancing fire.

Cloud sat up slowly. For some reason his entire body ached from head to toe. He had no idea why. He felt tired, and numb. His mind was slow at processing what he was seeing. Maybe he was dreaming again...But he never has dreams like this. He sighed, and closed his eyes. He tried to let the wave of nausea pass by, but he felt like he was going to let lose his entire stomach.

To put it frankly, he felt like shit.

Cloud let the blanket fall off of him, welcoming the shivers from the coldness that was hitting his skin. He had began to feel a little TOO warm under the blanket. He looked at the blanket confused. He never, ever carried blankets with him. Where the hell did it come from?

Cloud slowly stood up. He wanted to meet the one who'd given him this blanket, and the fire. He looked around, but there was no one in sight. Maybe this person didn't want to be found out.

Maybe it was one of the Turks.

...Since when did the Turks give a damn about his ass?

He let that thought sink in.

No, it couldn't have been the Turks.

Cloud decided that he should head back to the church. He had nothing else to do, besides ponder about the events of today, and the nightmares that constantly pledge him.

Just when he was about to put the fire out, Cloud heard foot steps. He froze.

That could be the one who helped him. But what if that person was an enemy? Regardless, this person did take care of Cloud.

The blond straightened himself up, and looked around one again for the source of the now louder foot steps that were heading his way. Cloud was tense. He was ready to make the first move to attack. He didn't trust whoever

this person is.

This person, however, had complete trust in Cloud. This person had hidden his tanned face, and his mako blue eyes behind the cloak he was dressed in, by putting the hood up over his head. This person was as nervous as hell.

He prayed that Cloud didn't die from shock when he hears his voice.

"So you're awake." said the stranger. The taller man was standing directly behind Cloud. Cloud didn't like the feeling of eyes behind him, staring holes into him. He swiftly spun around, now face to face with the stranger. They were just a few feet apart.

"I guess I owe you a thank you...." the blond stated so quietly, the taller man could barely hear him.

That voice...He knew...But...?

Cloud was nervous. He was shifting his movements, putting the weight from one foot to the other.

Why be nervous?

He hadn't acted like this since....

The taller man smiled. _'You haven't changed at all.'_

The tall man averted his gaze from Cloud as he spoke, "Yeah, I did help you. A thanks is nice." He didn't say anything else.

He didn't want to lead him on, entailing that, yes, in fact, this man standing before the blond was Zack. That's all he needed was the blond to be unconscious again.

The smile on the man's face grew bigger. It sure was nice to talk to him after all this time.

Cloud eyed him curiously. Why the hell was he smiling for? This frustrated Cloud to no end. He hated it when people played with him. Cloud wanted to know what this guys deal was about. He wanted answers. He wanted a name....He wanted to know why felt this way. His body was getting hotter. A flush was appearing on the blonds' pale face.

"Just who are you?" it was more of a demand then a question. Cloud was clearly pissed. Zack hated Cloud's sudden changed in moods. The blond would to that to him all the time, back then. Zack used to think it was cute.

The smile that had graced Zack's face fell.

It wasn't cute now.

'_Crap man! Uhhmmm...uhhhh....Come on! Think of a name, think of a name! John, Jesse, David...something!!' _ Zack panicked. His eyes moving from the ground to the trees, his brain trying to think of some kind of excuse....

Zack began to sweat bullets. Cloud was getting more pissy by the minute. Zack could tell. The blonds browns was frowning more and more.

"It's Henry!" Wow, that's original! What kind of name is HENRY?! Zack began to realize, with Cloud's expression unwavering, the blond didn't buy the lie. Zack

Cloud glared at him. "I don't know who you are..." he didn't finished.

_'I told you it was time for us to be together..." _the small voice cooed, echoing in the walls of Cloud's mind.

Cloud's eyes widened.

No...

"_Oh, yes, my little precious. No one will stop us now." it giggled._

Cloud staggered backwards, and his back collided with a tree. He put his face in his hands. His breath quickened. The air began to become think and cold. He started to shiver, but also began to sweat profusely.

An instinct kicked in, telling Zack that with any cost, he had to protect _**his**_ chocobo. The old male at this point didn't care if Cloud found out who he was. Something was wrong with him. Zack came up and put both his hands on the younger ones shoulders. The blond was shaking.

"GO AWAY!!!"

"_But, precious....I love you." it said sadly._

Cloud fell, and Zack was right there to catch him. The older man didn't know what was wrong. Was it Sephiroth again?

The taller man picked Cloud up bridal style and put him back in the spot he had fell to sleep. Zack was worried that the younger man was sleep deprived. But why would Cloud yell at him to go away?

This was all too confusing to Zack. He needed answers. He knew where to look. He knew where _she_ told him to go.

**0000**

Everyone was practically dumbfounded. Everything Vincent had explained to them. They didn't believe it. Especially Tifa. She had never noticed. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Cid puffed on his cigarette, trying to process the information that was just explained to him, and Shera was just as confused as the rest of them.

Red seemed to understand what was being told.

"SO... " Yuffie started as she sat back in her chair. She broke the awkward silence in the room. "He was crazy all along?"

Vincent shook his head, as he crossed his arms. "No, not crazy. There is another."

"You keep saying that." Tifa said calmly, though inside she was screaming. "What do you mean by 'another'?" Tifa began to tap the table nervously. She didn't like where this was all going.

"Yea'. I'm confused as hell." Barret said as he scratched his head with his good hand.

All the snacks and the drinks were gone. They were all eaten, all of the people who was listening to Vincent's hard to believe story, munched out.

Vincent sighed. He knew this would be hard for them to understand. He just knew it. He read the reports.

Vincent handed the small stack of papers to Tifa, who began to read them aloud to everyone.

_Subject 'C' _

_Date: NULL_

_Abnormal behavior after Mako injections: NORMAL_

_Behavior such as this is common. _

_Subject 'C'_

_Date: NULL_

_Abnormal behavior after MAKO injections: ABNORMAL _

_Second attempt on injections. This time, something different happened. Something else was there. Something like the Valentine case. But there **are differences.** Something had talked. It talked like it was speaking through Subject 'C' More tests to be taken. No further knowledge of Subject's behavior to be noted at this time. _

Tifa finished, and was just as confused now. The woman stared at the papers wide eyed. Her mouth was hanging open.

"What does all this mean?" Tifa said slowly.

The others tensed, listening closely to Vincent's response.

"Cloud was never Cloud."

**0000**

_Okay sooo....That doesn't tell much, does it? Heheheh...Its not supposed to! I hope you enjoyed yourself. Now, go review!_


	6. Chapter 6: Wingless Angel

Author's Note: **Looks at year she posted this fic.* Craaaaaaap. Sorry for THE BIGGEST DELAY KNOWN TO FANFICTION HISTORY! But I've got my inspiriation back, and thanks to my good friend darkmoondagger, I am here to continue and **_**finish**_**this story once and for all!**

**P.S. I dun own it. I want to, but you know how Square is. There like LOLNOPE. :D **

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**Chapter Six: Wingless Angel**

"_My soul wants deliverance, my child. Will you deny me?" The voice spoke strongly reverberating all around him. The beings voice was powerful. He didn't like where he was, or why this thing was telling him what he can or cannot do._

"_For a long time, I have watched you. She...and him too, they both took you. Has no one told you? You are mine. I just give you freedoms. I give you your nightmares. Don't smile. Don't cry. But believe in all of me. Soon my child, we will show them the gift that our father gave you. " the powerful voice droned on, but Cloud would hear none of it. How dare this thing tell him...tell him what? Cloud blinked, confused. He felt... strange. Why did he feel like he felt...nothing?_

"_You can never dream peaceful dreams." the small child sang, whirling in the air around Cloud's body. "I will just fuck them up for you!" the child giggled happily, but then glared at Cloud's still form._

"_Hello! I am still talking! So pay attention." the child flew over, hovering over Cloud, the child's eyes wide, his empty eyes drowning anything will power that Cloud had left in him. _

"_I love you. You may not accept me, but I am here. Don't try to wake. You aren't real any more. Your tomorrow will never come. Ever. So sleep my wingless angel. My persona. Let me make my show."_

_Cloud lifted his hand, and tried to knock the boy away, with all of his strength that he had left...which was none. Cloud's conscience left him, slowly, he watched all of the white room fade to black, and the child's demonic smile stain his mind. Before giving his last breath, he said only one word.. "..Z-Zack."_

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Zack stomped back and forth, arms tied behind his back. His face wearing a worried frown.

"What do I do? The kid's loosing it!" Zack spoke loudly, his frustration fuming with every word.

Zack stopped abruptly, and sighed heavily, flames almost coming out of his moth and ears. "no answer, eh! Well you should clean out your voice mail some time in the next five years, Aeris!"

Still no response. Zack sat down, next to Cloud whose body kept twitching. Zack felt helpless. He didn't have any idea how he was supposed to help Cloud. Was this his mission? To save Cloud from the boogy man in his nightmares? He didn't know where to start. They were miles from any place in town that had a doctor.

And Zack KNEW Cloud needed one, no matter how much the blond hated them. And there was no way in hell that Zack could carry a spazzy moving every five seconds,

Cloud, who could and might actually sock him in the face while he was driving. Again, Zack sighed. He needed to find some help, and the one who was supposed to (Yeah that's right, we're picking on you Aeris.) wasn't answering the question.

Forlornly, Zack continued to watch his once lover turn over, and whimper. Zack remembered the days when the blond's eyes were so carefree.

==============================FLASHBACK================================

_**Zack and Cloud were walking down the main hall towards the generals lofts. They had just finished a small task that was given by their General Sephiroth. They were giving him their report, and then heading back to Zack's loft, which was on the floor below the one they were on. **_

_**Usually, troopers were not allowed to be on this level of the building. But since Zack was with Cloud, it was absolutely fine. Also being the fact that the General also knew the blond. Not every well, but he had spoken to the young man quite a few times. **_

_**As they approached Sephiroth's room, Zack told Cloud to stay behind if he was too shy to enter. Cloud shook his head, determined to get over his shyness of being in front of the General .**_

_**Zack smiled at the boy, and the boy smiled back. Zack then knocked on the door, and a firm "Enter.", was heard clearly from the other side of the door. **_

_**Zack and the boy entered the room, and Zack fired off excited about completing the mission. **_

_**Cloud stood a little bit behind Zack, bashfully staring down at the floor.**_

"_**What's the matter, Cadet Strife?" Sephiroth's voice was commanding, but that was just the way the man spoke some times. **_

_**The boy's face drained of all color as he looked up at his superior officer. He quickly stood at attention to be respectful.**_

"_**At ease, Cadet. You're among friends." The General's tone eased a little, trying not to cause anymore discomfort to the young trooper. **_

"_**So yeah, Seph, we did what you asked." Zack continued, unphased by what just happened. **_

_**Cloud looked to Zack, then back at Sephiroth. He swallowed nervously, then spoke, "Ye-yes sir. We got the special kind of coffee you wanted." **_

_**Sephiroth nodded at the boy, and Zack's face beamed with a proud smile. **_

"_**Good work. I'll take it, " Sephiroth snatched the canister out of Zack's hand. "Good night,"**_

_**Zack was confused, but smiled at the General all the same. Surprisingly, so did Cloud. Zack saw that, and felt relieved that his little Chocobo is becoming less withdrawn from people, from his superiors especially. He knew that Cloud could let loose a little. He just needed a little help.**_

_**On the way back to Zack's room, the two held hands. Cloud's eyes were clear, and were oh so beautiful. Zack wished that he could stare in Cloud's eyes forever, but he knew it'd make Cloud extremely awkward. Thinking about it, Zack decided that doing something like that to your new boyfriend is not only stalkerish, but also a bit creepy. **_

_**The two finally got to Zack's loft. Zack unlocked the door, and snatched Cloud from the hall way before the blond decided to high tail it out of there. He wanted the boy all to himself tonight. He was so proud that Cloud was able to open himself just a little more. Zack felt that this was healthy for Cloud, seeing that he was so closed in when he had first met him. **_

_**Zack smiled at Cloud as the boy tensely sat down on Zack's sofa. **_

"_**You don't have to be nervous, babe. It's okay." Zack kneeled down in front of Cloud. The blond timidly looked up at Zack with his clear blue eyes.**_

"_**Gods, your eyes are so gorgeous." Zack said breathlessly. He the ghosted his lips over the boys. Cloud shivered when he realized where Zack was going with this. The anticipation was suddenly there, and Cloud could hardly wait. **_

_**Zack stopped, but kept his hands on Cloud's knees. Cloud leaned over and wrapped his arms around Zack. Cloud closed his eyes, and lost himself in Zack's scent. **_

_**But before anything else could continue, Zack's phone rang. **_

_**Signing in annoyance. Zack removed one of his hands and reached into his pocket to answer the cell phone.. **_

"_**Hello?" Zack greeted half screaming. "Oh, yeah Tsung. Yeah I did." Zack changed his tone to sound respectful.**_

_**Cloud casually nibbled Zack's earlobe. **_

"_**U-uh...uh huh! Yeah." Zack tried holding back a moan. "Yep! Everything Is great..." Zack's eyes averted to Cloud's tongue, which was now licking the raven haired cheek. **_

"_**Uhhh...oh Gods...ca-can I call you back Sir?" Zack stuttered, trying to hold everything he wanted to let out back.**_

"_**No? What? Now?!" Zack shouted, causing Cloud to stop his caresses, and look at Zack with a pout/ worried expression. **_

"_**Fine. I'll go. Geez. Be there soon. Bye." Zack shouted, closing his phone with some force, causing it to close loudly. **_

"_**Is everything okay?" The blond said quietly, sitting back onto the sofa.**_

"_**Yeah, everything is just fine, babe." Zack said, as he pulled himself up to give Cloud a kiss. "By the way..." Zack smiled down at him. Cloud smiled back slightly, raising an eye brow. He half expected Zack to make fun of his overly spiky hair, again like he always does. **_

"_**You're eyes are beautiful." Cloud's eyes widened, then he pushed up and crushed their lips together.**_

**Those were the days, but there was no more time to think about the past now. Right now, Zack needed to get Cloud some help. Looking over Cloud's restless form one more time, he spotted a cell phone. This is going against the code yet again, but he had to do it. He's going to make a phone call.. To Tifa.**

**- To Be Continued-**

And there's chapter 6. SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I didn't realize I had so many fans! I love you guys, and thank you for all the reviews you've given me! And all the favorites too! See you next week with CH 7!


	7. Chapter 7 Enter the Investigator!

Myself, Thy Evil

Chapter VII-(I) Part-I

** Enter The Investigator; **Friend of Foe!

* * *

3:08am glared the LCD lit alarm clock that was resting on the night stand beside her bed. She had just turned over, settling down into the covers comfortably. She was tired when she laid down from the long day she had. The morning had horrible traffic, she got up late. Her boss was mad at her, and not only that she had to work with this jerk named Reno. Who the hell names their kid Reno? She thought it was a joke when he introduced himself to her, in his self-centered-egotistical-badassary that he thought he had. But she already read his card. He was one of _those_ type. Cocky, witty. He thought he could get away with _anything._ But oh no. Not with this girl. No way in hell.

She had walked into the front office. She nodded to the secretary at the desk respectively. Then she headed towards where her boss's office was located at. She had no idea that she'd have a partner. She NEVER had partners. She always worked alone. She preferred it that way. She works better alone. And she was glad that she worked like that all along. Never again would she work with _this_ pompous wind bag. A pompous wind bag who _ .UP._

Then she saw him. Her "partner". His smirk. His attitude. It agitated the crap out of her! She had no IDEA how he always got away with murder. This is a profession. A job. All jobs are to be taken seriously.

Reno had green eyes, pale skin. Crimson hair caressed his face, following a long pony tail from behind him. He was dressed in his Turk uniform, but it was not properly buttoned, and most of the shirt hung out of his pants. This disgusted her ever so much. Grotty. Just gross.

But this wasn't the first time she had to partner with this perfect piece of work. How his dancing flames, his sparkling stature got them in hot water once before. She had to save them that time. But even so, a part of her was slightly, _slightly_ grateful that Reno was there. Why? She couldn't figure it out. It was feelings that she wasn't used to. Working alone was all that she knew.

She sat across from Reno, her hair neater than the bush that Reno called hair. Her lips pressed together, clear irritation showing on her face. Reno knew it. He didn't mind. He found it quite amusing to tease the only Turk who hadn't had to rise the ranks to get to the top. Solaria. That's what her name was. Ever since he met her, she was nothing my a big mystery to him. Reno couldn't figure Solaria out, even if she were the last woman on earth. She was stubborn than any of the girls in Avalanche.

Tsung sat at the head of the table. The table was long, and the two employees were sitting across from each other at the center of the table. The two employees avoided each others gaze, much to Reno's dismay. He really did want to get to know Solaria better. Tsung didn't give any worries to how his workers looked at each other, just as long as they got the job done, which normally happened when these two got the job.

Solaria sunk in her chair. Why is Tsung taking so long? She wasn't about to start the conversation. She just wanted to get the job done and over with. Then finally, Tsung looked about ready to start the briefing.

The Wutaian shifted in his seat, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. He looked sternly at Reno, then looking to Solaria. His face didn't change as he closed his eyes for a minute, then reopened them and looked down at the paper work that glared up at him with its thickness. This mission was big. How big, no one knew except Tsung.

"Well." Tsung began, "I am glad the two of you could come at such short notice." he nodded mainly at Solaria, as Reno yawned loudly, being rude as usual.

"Yeah yeah," Reno said lamely, "It's no big." he said waving his hand lazily at Tsung.

Solaria twitched with irritation as she stared bullets at Reno's demeanor. She couldn't stand Reno when he was being more rude than usual. But this is Reno we're talking about. Being rude _was_ his usual.

Solaria turned her gaze over to Tsung. "What's our target?" she asked.

Tsung looked at her and responded. "It's something that Shin Ra has had it's sights on for some time." Tsung started, reaching over to the stack of papers, opening the file and spreading the work a cross the table before him.

"Demon's." was Reno said, his eyes widening with excitement.

"Yes," Tsung replied. "They have been spotted mostly in this section of the world." Tsung pointed at the map beneath the paper and pictures.

"Near Midgar?" Solaria inquired, her head tilted to the side. Her gaze was fixed on one of the pictures of the demons.

"Hey...isn't that the one guy who used to be one of the old Turks?" Reno said, standing from his seat and walking over to get a better look at the pictures.

"Yes. He was one of the first experimented on by Hojo." Tsung explained.

The moment the name was spoken, Solaria flinched. _Him_. She forgot about him. She buried the memory deep within her. She didn't want to remember the horrible nightmare that Hojo had left her to. Now know that Hojo had spread his poison to other people, she wanted to quickly do anything it took to stop what ever was going on because of the mad scientist.

Holding herself back from jumping on Tsung to read the reports for herself, Solaria stood and walked calmly behind Reno, and though Reno was a little taller than her, Solaria could still see. The man with the raven black hair spoke to her silently through the picture. It was a portrait of a man with blood red eyes, dressed to the tee in an original Turks uniform. The man looked beautiful. Solaria stopped herself. That's something that she never says about anyone.

Why she was feeling that way she didn't know. But something in the next pictured pulled on her hard enough for her jaw to actually drop open. The man who was once a Turk was laid on what looked like a cold rusted table, with all kinds of tubes and cords hooked up to his body. His skin had paled to a almost ghostly pale. His eyes were open, but the life that was once there was gone. She knew that look. She once had that look too. They were the same. Something deep inside her told her so. Something inside her told her that they would meet soon.

Tsung and Reno had actually stopped what they were talking about, just to stare at the reaction of Solaria. That woman never gives a response that way ever. Just seeing her face with a surprised expression was just about as uncommon as Reno taking a shower every week, if that.

"Are you alright, Solaria?" Tsung asked quickly, trying to act like he didn't get caught up in the gawking that Reno was continuing like an idiot.

Solaria blinked, but seemed a little shaken up. "Yes. Tell me the mission. Now." was the only response from the woman.

Reno and Tsung glanced at each other, before Tsung handed the entire folder, minus a few papers to Solaria.

"It's yours. Find out why there are so many sightings, and report back to me as soon as possible." Tsung ordered. The two nodded, and both walked away, Solaria distancing herself from Reno as much as possible. She had some hard thinking to do. She was about to see her past again. Her past was something she didn't quite like venturing into, but now she has no choice. If that evil man is still alive, she will be sure make sure that Hojo will feel the pain of all of his victims. She promised herself as she sat down inside the passenger side of the car that Reno was revving to drive.

* * *

The phone call to Tifa didn't really go well. First, Tifa thought it was a practical joke. Then she thought that someone had killed Cloud, and she was about to rush down and beat Zack's ass. But then finally after explaining that he'd been there for Cloud for some of his suffering, and that Cloud was resting semi peacefully, and that he needed to get Cloud to a doctor as soon as possible. Tifa had hung up the phone and eventually, the Highwind was hovering about Zack's camp. With half surprised, half thankful eyes, Tifa came and greeted Zack with a giant hug. Something that the man wasn't expecting at all. Zack helped Cloud aboard the ship. The team was currently awaiting for Cloud to wake up, while Cid was looking at his map trying to find a doctor that wouldn't poke Cloud like a new side of experiment.

Zack grunted as he sat down in a chair that was beside Cloud's bed. It'd been a about two hours since they took off from the Midgar Area. Zack still didn't know why he was back on this earth. It was something that Zack didn't really have time to try and figure out, nonetheless understand. The fact that he was sitting beside his once lover was a miracle. He missed the blond. But he didn't quite remember when he missed him. He knew that he had something to do. Maybe Cloud _was_ his something to do. Maybe that's why he was gifted the chance to be with Cloud again. Maybe Cloud needed him, because it certainly looked like it.

_'Why Aeris? Why am I here?'_ Zack's mind thought, moving his gaze to look upon on the sleeping blond, who now looked calm and just like an angel. To Zack that is. He didn't want Cloud to feel pain anymore. No matter what, how or why, Zack would not let that happen again.

What ever was going on inside Cloud was Zack's battle too. He didn't care if everyone in avalanche tried to stop him. He will never leave Cloud's side again.

A light knock on the door. Zack's eyes was on the door in a heart beat. He waited, then answered.

"Yeah come in."

Tifa entered, with still a look of bewilderment stuck on her pretty face.

"It's okay, Tifa. I know it's a bit hard to believe. But I am here." Zack explained, trying to get Tifa out of her weird mojo.

Tifa just nodded, not really knowing how to respond to the dead man that was talking to her.

"Come out here. There's something going on, and I think you should know about it. " Tifa told Zack, turning away from him a little too coldly, and walking right back out of the room. Zack took one last look at Cloud, then stood and walked out of the room.

Zack proceeded to follow Tifa back onto the main deck of the Highwind. All of the faces looked at Zack like he was a spawn of Jenova. Zack ignored the strange stares, and sat down at an empty seat. He waited for Tifa to sit down, before he spoke.

"So what's the deal?" Zack asked, his voice unchanging. He didn't want his worry to be seen or heard.

No one answered, and everyone looked to Tifa. Cid puffed on his cigarette, while Yuffie looked at Tifa, then looked back down. Barrett just looked away, and Tifa looked around hoping someone would answer for her. This awkwardness was becoming a pain. It was hard for Tifa to try and talk to someone who she hadn't seen in almost ten years.

Tifa sighed, and then did nothing but turned on the TV.

The reported on the television was in mid sentence when the TV flickered on.

"- Yes, there are more deaths occurring near the Midgar region, Hans. "

"And we're back, thank you Jane. That was a report on the out skirts of Midgar where strange beasts have been sighted attacking travelers, and some of the residents on the outside of Midgar. More details will come. But some are speculating that this is remnants of some of Professor Hojo's experiments. And some are saying that it is the workings of AVALANCHE.-"

The TV was turned off.

No one said a word, and all eyes looked to Zack who awkwardly smiled, with no explanation to give them.

Zack then sighed, and scratched the back of his neck. He didn't know what to tell them.

Zack then proceeded to try and explain his sudden appearance in this world, and what he knew about Cloud.

That was everything that he knew, Zack just hoped that the group accepted what he was about to tell them.

Gaia help him.

* * *

Author's Note's:

That's all for now. This is going to be three parter. Whew. Part two will be here soon.


End file.
